Farm scale biochar. Taking on farm biochar making to a new level.

Well folks you read it here first. Biochar Industries charmaster Dolph Cooke has created yet another low cost low tech farm scaled setup and here is a pictorial to ease you into your own biochar adventure.

Biochar Industries was initially setup to create benchmarks of sustainability in this new and exciting industry that is emerging. However I have come to realise something that my mentor used to preach. Biochar for everyone for free now that’s a tall order.

Biochar has been referred to as a mitigating factor in climate change, It has also been hailed as a miracle soil amendment now that its becoming a household word greedy folks want to get rich off of it and this is just driving the price out of the reach for most farmers. Here is where we step in –

Farm scale biochar low cost low tech.

I have called this simple method “The Moxham” after my late mentor Geoff Moxham who set my soul ablaze with Biochar in 2009 at the castle on the hill UKI Australia.

Lets look at the pictures and match a commentary to the captions. Right at the top of the page we have photo 1. Simple low tech and relatively affordable the “Moxham” a carbon steel pipe. 20mm thick a diameter of 190 centermeters and standing on its end a height of 165cm.

Price $800.00 delivered from Brisbane.

Picture 2 Many friends make light work. The men of the menshed rally around to help me fill the “Moxham” Farm scale biochar unit. Its fun as well as beneficial to those with a heavy heart.

Picture Number 3 Break time a technique we use to allow the fire to fully engulf the loaded wood and rise-up and burn all escaping volatiles. We also use it to eat drink and be merry.

Picture 4 Charmaster Dolph imparting trade secrets to wise old school men of the menshed.

Picture 5. Half full and blazing with some extra long wood on top to be burnt in half and put in shows the versatility of the farm scale biochar unit.

Picture 6. A shot of the “Moxham” meeting the earth this has to be smothered with sand during the close down stage.

Picture 7. Show what happens when you overload the unit with wood. Smoke everyone soon notices they have over done it. Charmaster Dolph then used advanced fire techniques to quickly remove excess smoke and make the fire roar clean again within minutes.

Picture 8. This is how we roll Smokeless High temp big flames the awesomeness of nature.

Picture 9. Above the Moxham biochar farm scale unit was lit at 11am and extinguished at 11pm. During the night it was so pleasant to be able to watch the flames and ponder our existence.

Picture 10. This is how we know exactly how much wood to put into the “Moxham” easy effective and low cost. Simplicity at its best.

Another awesome day in Biochar paradise.

I wish you all the best over the holiday period. Drop in I will be working my little cake off.

Hello Lou your question “how does this qualify as biochar,with all that open flame and smoke? The production of ash must be greater than that of true charcoal?” Is easily answered.

A lot of people do not know what even biochar is let alone how to qualify it. So let me draw you a quick picture. Biochar is Biomass reduced to charcoal through heat with the intention to use it in soil or agriculture.

The production of charcoal is managed by a Person (Charmaster) and not a machine. So If I was asleep on the job I will indeed awake to ASH. However It is far to exciting a pastime to go to sleep. A lot of so called arm chair critics who are experts in biochar without ever making any might fall asleep. I guarantee you sir I will not.

Your question perhaps leans toward the technology to quote “with all that open flame and smoke?” Let me be quiet BLUNT. All scientists research biochar as part of the premise of Terra Pretta would you agree ?

Then ask these pertinent questions of the technology. 1. Did the creators of Terra Pretta / biochar have Temprature Guages ? If so how where they calibrated ? 2. Did the creators of Terra Pretta / biochar have stainless steel retorts or reactors ? 3. Did the creators of Terra Pretta / biochar have scientists telling them what to do ?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions I want to see the evidence. Until then I will assume you do not completely understand Biochar yourself and perhaps do not know of a pyrolysis front and how it works.

This is far to great a subject to cover in a comment so I will cover it as a post shortly.

The things you must understand are open fires are not the enemy, Smoke is not the enemy, Ash is not even the enemy. The real enemy are asleep human beings who blindly consume all the resources our world has to offer without even considering giving any back. That there is the real enemy. They are called Corporations. Corporations can not make money out of my ideas as I give them freely to the people. Biochar is a peoples technology and should not be held back because greedy people want to make money off it.

A good charmaster can run the Moxham for over 15 hours without smoke after start up and net 4 cubic meters of Biochar that has an average residence time of over 6 hours. A very awesome helping hand to the planet.

I am super open to discuss with you the nuances of this idea and any hangups you may have about the environment.